For 60 years RainSoft has been treating, testing water around the world. During the last 14 years I have been the Dealer here in Ottawa, Ontario. We sell/service all RainSoft water systems: Water Softeners, Reverse Osmosis Systems, Whole House Carbon Filters, Chemical Free and Chemical Iron & Sulphur Removal Systems, Sediment Filters, UV Light Systems and MOST IMPORTANTLY PEACE OF MIND! I have an A+ rating with the BBB and have won the Consumers Choice Gold Awards for 5 years in a row. This is a family run business and we especially care about the water you and your family drink and live with. www.rainsoftofottawa.com

Category Archives: Our opinion

In response to our Sept. 12 blog ~ a plea to sign the petition to help save Zak and Miki, (two harp seal pups, due to be slaughtered at Aquarium des Iles in Quebec, Canada), one reader asked for more background information. The following is what I’ve managed to come up with.

I hope this information will help anyone else who might be undecided about signing the petition.

Unfortunately, as the world gets bigger and more complicated, it’s hard to know who to trust. Here’s a true story and a little advise from us here at RainSoft Ottawa.

An older lady and long time customer of ours bought an air purifier from a company we shall refer to as “the Snidely Whiplash” company. After a while she called them saying it wasn’t working. It took “the Snidely Whiplash” company two weeks to get to her home and what happened then is hard to believe. The air purifier needed repairs and would have to be taken away but “may we test your water?” They proceeded to look under her kitchen counter, proclaim that the RainSoft R.O. system was outdated and delivering undrinkable water and TWO HOURS later had her talked into one of their brand new systems worth several thousand dollars! They left with her air purifier and the RainSoft R. O. system and have not been back.

You can read between the lines, right? Our system was in perfect working order, having been serviced yearly. Two hours of badgering someone would most certainly wear down the best of us. After about fifteen minutes I would have used some vocabulary that my kids don’t know I know but this customer was old school and I think, felt bullied. So now she has spent thousands of dollars she didn’t need to spend, “the Snidely Whiplash” company has her old R. O. system and her air purifier – more dollars gone – and she is left feeling foolish and ashamed.

We think this kind of behavior is reprehensible. We could not be any more outraged if this customer was our very own mother! We stand behind our products 100% and we stand behind this particular customer 100% should she wish to pursue the matter with “the Snidely Whiplash” company.

So here’s our advise: if you are skeptical (and who wouldn’t be after hearing stories like this) we don’t mind. In fact, we encourage it. Due your due diligence, phone the Better Business Bureau, ask us for references, talk to us a lot. RainSoft has been in business for 59 years, in Ottawa for 40 and here at Canotek for 12. We live here, we work here, we play here. We are your neighbours and we’re not going anywhere. We want you to be happy with our product and our service. We do not want you to buy stuff you don’t need or don’t want. I know it’s getting hard to believe these days but some if us still care about our reputation and about treating people with courtesy and respect.

Lots of properties in the country surrounding Ottawa are on wells and septic systems. If you are out house hunting in those areas, it pays to have a little knowledge under your belt. There is a lot of useful information on the

I noticed that I have not blogged in several weeks. The problem is I’m not feeling overly serious today. It must be the lengthening days and the promise of spring (despite a forecast of snow tomorrow) that have me feeling as if I am 10. I want to play! So, instead of a serious article on water and our lack of clean, fresh water, how about a poem? A long time ago, in the B.C. comic strip written by Bobby Hart, I remember – at least I will do my best to remember – a poem about water!

When Hydrogen U met Oxygen Tech
The game had just begun.
Then Hydrogen racked up two quick points
And Oxygen still had none.
Suddenly Oxygen scored a point!
And thus it did remain:
At Hydrogen: 2 and Oxygen: 1
Called – because of rain.

Smart man that Bobby Hart – great comic strip. Today I will be thankful for water.

I just finished watching the CBC Marketplace episode on water purification, broadcast on Friday, January 28th – to be specific, on a company called Simply H2O. What can I say? We know these companies are out there and we do not condone their methods nor do we practice them.

To blow our own horn, RainSoft has been in business 57 years. Eternally Pure Water Systems and Martin Barrett, dealer of RainSoft products, has been servicing the Ottawa area for 11, almost 12 years. We have an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau and won The Consumers’ Choice Award in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010! While I don’t believe in scare tactics I do find it hard to believe that CBC and the Canadian Government are giving us the whole truth.

What I do believe is that there is a growing population who are questioning the conventional wisdom and who are not taking anything we currently do as gospel. They are intelligent friends and neighbours who have the capacity to do their own research and make their own decisions. So, when it comes to chlorine in your water – is it safe? I’m not sure I would want to send water through the city infrastructure without chlorine but that doesn’t mean it’s safe for me to drink. As for “trihalomethanes” – I looked them up on Wikipedia and I’m going to do some more research ’cause what I read there was not reassuring. Fluoride? – I’ve blogged plenty about that already.

You know, we just do the best we can with the knowledge we have, and when we know better, we do better. Problem is, not all of us are on the same page when it comes to these issues. If you think you need a Reverse Osmosis System for your home, or any other water purification system for that matter, we hope you won’t let the con artists and deceitful sway your opinion. Do the research, check us out, give us a call – we’re not going anywhere.

There has been a recent groundswell from independent researchers and consumers questioning the risks and long-term effects of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. With national awareness at an all-time high, Rainsoft has provided a fact sheet for its dealers and their customers to provide clarity around the concerns of pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water. This fact sheet outlines the most commonly asked questions and provides answers that have been put forth from the Water Quality Association (WQA) and NSF International (the National Sanitation Foundation).